Bites while petting... GRRRR!

Why does my cat bit me for petting him. I havnt been able to put my finger on what exactually he doesnt like since he is the one that comes to me to be petted and then ends up biting my hand. Should i smack his little butt? How do you deal with this?

very frustrating...

A spray bottle has always worked wonders for me. Also, yell "Ouch!" when he does it. It will either scare him or let him know that it's hurting you, and either of those will deter him from doing it. Keep us updated!

Never thought about making a loud noise. Im kind of afraid it will scare him away from coming to me and showing affection. I hope not but i will give that a try. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Lexington

Why does my cat bit me for petting him. I havnt been able to put my finger on what exactually he doesnt like since he is the one that comes to me to be petted and then ends up biting my hand. Should i smack his little butt? How do you deal with this?

very frustrating...

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Yes, very frustrating, but also very common. First, don't smack him. It won't work and he'll just think you're mean and may decide not to sit on your lap at all.

Is he a young cat or an adult? If he's young he may just need to be taught what's appropriate as far as showing affection to the human folk (because biting kitties are sometimes showing affection). In that case I would say a strong "ow" and a removal from the lap is the best thing to do.

If it's an older cat, it's probably overstimulation. Does he twitch his skin (kind of a rolling motion), twitch or swing his tail? Those are signs that he wants you to back off. Doesn't mean he doesn't want to be near you, but he doesn't want to be touched (or touched wherever you're petting him).

My girl cat does this. She sits on your lap, but she only wants so much petting, then she gets to be little miss bitey. Once I learned to read her signs, we've both been much happier.

If you're afraid that yelling will scare him, I agree with Jelly that removal from the lap is a good idea. But I've said "ow" loudly on many occasions and it hasn't stopped Sophie from wanting affection.

There are many ways to deal with this... Smacking isn't a good option, with cats, this is never good. I guess if what you want is a totally well-behaved cat that will leave you alone, fine. But you won't have a loving, happy companion. Spray bottles work on some cats very well; others, you will get the same result as smacking. Your cat will associate you with something bad and won't want to be near you. I myself, would rather not take the chance. Instead, I would say in a loud, firm voice "NO" and pick your kitty up and set him/her down on the floor, or several feet away from you. But try to listen to your kitty; we people sometimes get caught up in what we want to do and don't listen to what your animals are feeling. Just pet your cat 2-3 times, and leave him alone. Try petting in different places, but not constantly, it probably gets annoying. A few pets on the back, a minute of rest. A scratch under the chin, some rest. If your kitty wants to sleep, don't pet him at all. I hope I helped! Good luck with your precious kitty!

Originally Posted by skoshkie

If you're afraid that yelling will scare him, I agree with Jelly that removal from the lap is a good idea. But I've said "ow" loudly on many occasions and it hasn't stopped Sophie from wanting affection.

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I would suggest both a loud "OW" and removal to the floor. The "OW" is to startle them and let them know it hurts, putting them on the floor is so they start to make the association with biting = no more attention.

Swanie will bite out of affection, when he really gets into the petting. He will often take my hand in both his paws (claws out but not hurting), bring my hand to his mouth, and nip gently. Is it something like that? Or he might just gently nip without the claws part. Same thing. If I'm doing something he doesn't want me to do, or he doesn't want to be petted anymore, he'll nip at me quickly. Again, not hurting. It's just like him saying cut that out!

If he's biting hard, maybe he's given other signs he wants you to stop and you haven't recognized them?

I pesonally wouldn't ever hit a cat for the reasons already mentioned. He'll just end up associating you with being hurt and stop coming around. I couldn't do it anyway, regardless. Same with the squirt bottle. I bought one on someones recommendation when we first got the cats, and could never bring myself to use it.

It is usually because of overstimulation... either you have pet the cat too much (you can tell when to stop by the tail twitching and other signs) or you're petting the cat on areas it doesn't like. Many cats dislike being touched on the belly, tail or sides. The safest bet is to scratch all around the head: along the neck, between the ears, along the cheeks, under the chin.

You guys are great. He is a year and two months or so old. When i first got him , i read up as much as i could on body language.

I try to pay attention to his tail and stop when he starts to slap it around. He bites me at random times without showing any noticeable signs of aggitation.